Online colleges and online education have grown enormously over the last ten years. These schools enable students to finish a degree program and graduate with little more than a laptop and internet connection.
When considering an online college and an online degree, the reputation of the school and specific program is of great importance.
Online colleges and universities differ widely in quality, with more and more campus-based schools competing for online students and offering online degrees. For this reason, rankings of online colleges and universities need to be regularly updated. Hence, this ranking is of the top 100 online colleges for 2017.
- Penn State World Campus (State College, Pennsylvania)
- University of Florida Distance Learning (Gainesville, Florida)
- UMass Online (Amherst, Massachusetts)
- Boston University (Boston, Massachusetts)
- Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts)
- Indiana University – IU Online ( Bloomington, Indiana)
- Arizona State University – ASU Online (Tempe, Arizona)
- University of Minnesota – Twin cities (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
- University of Arizona (Tucson, Arizona)
- Oregon State University – OSU ECampus (Corvallis, Oregon)
- Drexel University – Drexel Online (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- Florida State University – Office of Distance Learning (Tallahassee, Florida)
- Washington State University Global Campus (Pullman, Washington)
- University of Missouri – Mizzou Online (Columbia, Missouri)
- University of Central Florida (Orlando, Florida)
- University of Denver–University College (Denver, Colorado)
- Rochester Institute of Technology – RIT Online (Rochester, New York)
- University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
- Colorado State University–Fort Collins Online (Fort Collins, Colorado)
- University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio)
- Kansas State University (Manhattan, Kansas)
- Rutgers University (New Brunswick, New Jersey)
- University of Arkansas Global Campus ((Fayetteville, Arkansas)
- Liberty University Online (Lynchburg, Virginia)
- Robert Morris University – RMU Online (Moon, Pennsylvania)
- University of Alabama at Birmingham – UAB Online (Birmingham, Alabama)
- University of North Dakota (Grand Forks, North Dakota)
- Colorado State University – Global Campus (Fort Collins, Colorado)
- University of South Florida (Tampa, Florida)
- University of Illinois at Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)
- University of Louisville (Louisville, Kentucky)
- Texas Tech University (Lubbock, Texas)
- West Virginia University (Morgantown, West Virginia)
- University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
- Ball State University (Muncie, Indiana)
- University of Minnesota–Crookston (Crookston, Minnesota)
- Northern Arizona University, NAU–Extended Campuses (Flagstaff, Arizona)
- Florida Institute of Technology – Florida Tech University Online (Melbourne, Florida)
- Everglades University (Boca Raton, Florida)
- University of Illinois – Springfield (Springfield, Illinois)
- Western Kentucky University (Bowling Green, Kentucky)
- Regis University (Denver, Colorado)
- Mississippi State University (Mississippi State, Mississippi)
- Azusa Pacific University (Azusa, California)
- University of Colorado – Denver (Denver, Colorado)
- University of South Carolina–Palmetto College (Columbia, South Carolina)
- Missouri State University (Springfield, Missouri)
- New Mexico State University (Las Cruces, New Mexico)
- Southern Illinois–Carbondale (Carbondale, Illinois)
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Greensboro, North Carolina)
- Fort Hays State University – Virtual College (Hays, Kansas)
- University of Louisiana at Monroe (Monroe, Louisiana)
- Lewis University (Romeoville, Illinois)
- Huntington University (Huntington, Indiana)
- University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, Mississippi)
- Indiana Wesleyan University (Marion, Indiana)
- Old Dominion University (Norfolk, Virginia)
- California Baptist University–CBU Online (Riverside, California)
- Regent University–Regent Online (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
- Utah State University (Logan, Utah)
- North Dakota State University (Fargo, North Dakota)
- Upper Iowa University (Fayette, Iowa)
- Champlain College (Burlington, Vermont)
- Dakota State University (Madison, South Dakota)
- University of Memphis–UM Online (Memphis, Tennessee)
- Central Michigan University (Pleasant, Michigan)
- South Dakota State University (Brookings, South Dakota)
- Dallas Baptist University (Dallas, Texas)
- Lamar University (Beaumont, Texas)
- Florida International University (Miami, Florida)
- LeTourneau University (Longview, Texas)
- East Carolina University (Greenville, North Carolina)
- Nova Southeastern University (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
- Brenau University (Gainesville, Georgia)
- Central Washington University (Ellensburg, Washington)
- Western Carolina University (Cullowhee, North Carolina)
- Saint Leo University Online (Leo, Florida)
- Valley City State University (Valley City, North Dakota)
- Limestone College (Gaffney, South Carolina)
- Kennesaw State University (Kennesaw, Georgia)
- Mississippi College (Clinton, Mississippi)
- Webster University (Webster Groves, Missouri)
- Eastern Kentucky University (Richmond, Kentucky)
- Concordia University, Saint Paul (St Paul, Minnesota)
- Asbury University (Wilmore, Kentucky)
- University of Nebraska at Kearney (Kearney, Nebraska)
- Troy University (Troy, Alabama)
- University of Central Missouri (Warrensburg, Missouri)
- Ottawa University (Ottawa, Kansas)
- Rowan University (Glassboro, New Jersey)
- Oral Roberts University (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
- Dickinson State University (Dickinson, North Dakota)
- Northern Kentucky University (Newport, Kentucky)
- Indiana State University (Terre Haute, Indiana)
- University of Texas of the Permian Basin (Odessa, Texas)
- Universe of Houston – Victoria (Victoria, Texas)
- Columbus State University (Columbus, Georgia)
- Brescia University (Owensboro, Kentucky)
- Fayetteville State University (Fayetteville, North Carolina)
- Belhaven University (Jackson, Mississippi)
Online education gives students unrivaled flexibility in pursuing a degree program, but it is not right for everyone. Pursuing an online degree requires independent drive and study skills that some students who are new to college may lack.